Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.

Only if that relates to your core business. Android is not a core business of Google's, it's a cost centre. Android was a means to an end for Google, it was designed to protect Google's core business from the threat posed by the rise of a dominant mobile OS (seen originally as Windows Mobile and Rim and later as iOS) which might have excluded Google services. Android so far has sort of done that, it certainly prevented any alternative OS from dominating the mobile market, but it has been far less efficient at ensuring the inclusion of Google services and so the next phase of Google's mobile strategy will probably focus far more on making Google services ubiquitous across all mobile OS.

I think it was this sort of change of strategic emphasis that led to Rubin's departure.